September 3, 2024

West Bank Rising

Across the entire geography of the West Bank — from Jenin to Al Khalil —  Palestinian resistance forces are frustrating Israel’s efforts to  enforce its illegitimate occupation. In doing so, they are reawakening a  pivotal front in the struggle for Palestinian liberation.

On August 28, the IOF began an expansive operation against the cities of the Northern West Bank. With a focus on Tulkarem and Jenin, considered strongholds of the resistance brigades, the IOF committed wholesale destruction of public infrastructure over a period of 72 hours that resulted in 30 martyrs, 130 injured, and an estimated $135 million in damages. The scale of the operation was meant as a message to  Palestinians in the North: abandon resistance, or expect a genocide akin to Israel’s year-long war on Gaza.

Among the martyrs in the North are 3 teenagers released in the prisoner exchange of November 2023, each of whom later joined resistance forces in the camp of their birth. From growing up in the camps, to being imprisoned by the occupation, to becoming engaged on the battlefield, the young martyrs’ trajectory is an increasingly common one. Across the West Bank, more youth are joining the brigades and filling leadership positions from an early age. For many in this fledgling generation, Gaza is the flame that ignited their political consciousness, leading them to take up resistance as a matter of national duty.

At the same time, Israel is facing evolved tactics and tools that are making the field of operations increasingly dangerous for its soldiers. At numerous points during its extended operation in the North, the IOF was forced to resort to air strikes and drone attacks as cover for ground troops, tactics that were previously unthinkable in the West Bank. Potential surprise fronts are presenting a new challenge as well. As the IOF was focused on the North, several operations caught them blindsided in the South around Al-Khalil.

As the IOF scrambles to maintain compulsory service, it finds itself ambushed on more fronts than ever before. The West Bank is rising—and with that rise, new equations in the Palestinian struggle are being forged.